Ghost of Existence
by Dokugin
Summary: At his birth, he was sacrificed with a smile. In his life, he was cursed with a sneer. At his end, the roles were reversed. Rejected by Hell and chained to protect the ones who had sent him there, maybe as a Ghost he could find the answers he had sought.
1. Chapter 1: Hell's Reject

**I know what you're all thinking. Hell, I was thinking it myself. Why the hell would I start another story when I've already got a lot of them out? Why can't I just finish a damn fic, and then make another? **

**Well, I have no answer, except this. **

**I'm probably not even going to get stuck on this. I just thought it up in a **_**very **_**short time span, and was able to think and plan out two chapters on the fly. I'm putting Grey Moon on temporary Hiatus right now, until I figure out where I wanted it to go. I've already used most of the ideas I had for that fic on my others, like the boat in Fire Storm, and the arena in Zero Pressure. Hell, I'm even going to use the "I leave you a parting gift," in the next chapter of Fire Storm that I was originally going to use in Grey Moon. **

**Enough of this, and sorry for the long A.N.**

**Summary: ****At his birth, he was sacrificed with a smile. In his life, he was cursed with a sneer. At his end, the ones who cursed him smiled and the one who had sacrificed him sneered. After Death he is rejected by Hell and chained to help the mankind that had sent him to Hell in the first place. Maybe as a Ghost, he would finally find what he had been searching for all along...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I hope I never will. That's weird.**

**Also, for those of who think the shinobi is just getting hitting Naruto because of the Kyubi, then you're wrong. Horribly and tragically wrong… **

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Chapter 1: Hell's Reject

He stood in front of the shinobi, scared for his life. Before he could even blink, he was picked up by his collar, and slammed against the wall.

He cried out, as the shinobi smashed him against the hard stone bricks. He felt something wet and sticky drip down his back. Instinctively, he knew it was blood. Tears dripped down his face, as the shinobi grabbed his hair, and rammed it into the bricks. He blood filled his ears, as the man let go of him and watched, as he threw up the meager amount of garbage he had for breakfast.

"You see this gaki?" He cried to the crowd, making a grandiose gesture to indicate him, "If you come closer, I'll kill him!"

Through his blurred eyes, he could see the crowd looking at the shinobi for a second, shock written on their faces. Then it turned to looks of glee and full blown cheering could be heard.

"Kill the demon brat!"

"Make him suffer!"

Those were the things they yelled, much to the confusement of the shinobi who was threatening to do kill him.

Naruto closed his eyes, and drowned out the sounds of the crowd and the shinobi yelling at him. Maybe today he wouldn't have to feel it, as he slowly lapsed into unconsciousness. (I use that word a lot in my fics….)

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Flashback, only 500 words into the story….

Five years. For five kami forsaken years, he had been alone and forced to fend for himself.

Today, he was in search of food, as his meager supply had run out. He was just a small little boy, dirty and dressed in rags walking through the town.

He walked through the streets, and bared the glares of the villagers around him. None of them ever spoke to him, and if he tried approaching one, they would sneer at him, and send him away with a glare, all of them having the exact same response, "I don't like you, go away."

No one liked him. He had remembered everyday of his life, and because of that, his mind was sharp and very quick for a 5 year old boy. After all, you had to be smart and tough to survive on the streets.

He had various shelters across the city, and had to move from one to the others every night, so people wouldn't find him. Though they had never outright attacked him, sometimes the drunks came.

They would shout mean things at him, or kick his shelter. All of them seemed reluctant to touch him, as if he were poisonous. Instead, they attacked his material possessions.

The first time had been when he was 2, barely able to walk. It was also the only incident he could remember when he had actually been harmed by the villagers. All the other times before, he had crawled where he needed to go. He had just made a makeshift shelter from a trashcan which had been left out in the street. It wasn't that dirty, and only smelled mildly. He had stuffed the only thing he had possessed, an ugly and torn yellow blanket into the can and had lay down on it, hoping to get a reprieve from the dark cold world outside. However, fate seemed to really spite him, as he heard a loud ringing in his ears and felt the trashcan tip over.

"Ha-ha!" slurred a man. He held a bottle in his hands, and was wearing a green jumpsuit. (Don't hate me for this, I'll explain later.) "Seems like you aren't really that tough, are you Demon?"

He had laughed, and let Naruto ponder his words.

'Demon…' He thought, climbing out of the trash can and looking at his hands. 'I'm a demon?'

"Looks like you aren't going to be that tough of an opponent, eh Demon?" He laughed, and ran forward drunkenly. Naruto got up and tried to run, but the man caught up to him. He was only 2 after all, and had only just learned to walk. "Where you going, demon?" he laughed, and picked him up by his hair.

It was painful, but not compared to the next thing.

The man had thrown Naruto into the air, and jumped up along with him. With a considerable amount of force, he kicked Naruto in his stomach, and sent him flying through the air.

He gave a loud, 'oomph' as he collided into a stone building. He crumpled to the ground, and lay there bleeding. He did not know what had happened next, but he found that he had somehow ended up in the middle of the street, with all his injuries healed and his blanket lying on top of him.

After gaining his bearings, he had searched for his trashcan, hoping to find a hint of what had happened last night. Unfortunately, he did.

The trashcan he had spent a day on his legs finding was crumpled, as if someone had repeatedly punched and kicked it to make it smaller.

Naruto had walked to it, and picked up the piece of metal nearly half the size of his body, which had been the trashcan.

A few days later, he had been approached by the green jump suited man, whose head was bowed low and in shame. Naruto had feared for his life, and had gone as fast as he could to get away.

That marked the first and last time he had been physically hurt, and the first time his homes or possessions had been destroyed. It had occurred many times over the following years, and Naruto had to learn to survive.

He could easily spot out a potential hiding place, to escape the ones who wanted to follow him home, or see scraps of small food on the ground. He knew he could collect the rainwater when it rained, to be used as a drink.

For five years he had learned, and for five years he had survived.

He wasn't watching where he had been going, and only his keen ability to sense danger saved him, as a huge cart had rolled down the sloping street he was on, filled with all kinds of food and goods.

A fat man was chasing it, and calling to the people in front of him, "Stop that cart! Stop it, and I'll give you something for free!"

Naruto watched as the cart rolled down the street, forcing people to dive out of the way. No one seemed to really care about the cart, apart from those it had nearly run over.

"Stop that cart!" The fat man yelled once more.

Naruto saw this as his chance, and he would finally be able to get a decent meal. He ran down a dark alley, and turned to face the brick building. He would need to go up quickly, if he hoped of catching the cart.

He had learned to do this not a year ago, but he was already good at it. His keen eyes helped him stop ledges and places he could grab onto, ones that wouldn't break under his weight. He quickly scaled the wall, using the force of momentum to empower his movements.

With a strong single haul, he was on top of the building, twenty feet high. He walked to the ledge that showed the street, and peered down. The man was still running after the cart, and was five buildings ahead. Naruto stood back, the farthest away from the building he was about to jump to, and ran forward.

He ran forward, and placed one foot on the edge. It six feet across each building, and Naruto would need all the strength in his feet he could muster. He pulled his body down, about to go against gravity. He pushed off the edge, and used the momentum to carry himself over the six foot gap and onto the other side in a roll. He got up running, doing the exact same for each of the buildings. (Just imagine Assassin's Creed)

The cart seemed to always be 2 buildings ahead, and Naruto was losing stamina. On the seventh building, he found a rope, and renewed his efforts to catch up to the cart. The cart was probably a block away from a building, where it would crash. He ran faster, and was now even with the cart. He would need to get at least one building ahead for his plan to work, and the wall was looming ever closer, along with his chance for food.

He finally got a building ahead, and jumped, the rope twirling in his hands. People gasped, and looked at him in awe, the sun blocking their view of his head.

He threw the rope while falling, and landed on the cart. He held tightly to the rope, and put it over his right shoulder. If the cart was going fast enough, then it could be dislocated by the force of the cart suddenly stopping. IT would be worth it though, for the price of food. A mere building from the wall, the rope grew taunt in his hands.

He gritted his teeth, refusing to let out a cry of pain as his shoulder was dislocated. The cart bounced back and forward a few times, not immediately stopping.

The crowd around him was cheering at his actions, from jumping off the building onto the cart, and then stopping it.

The fat man panted, and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"Thanks boy. I'll be sure to give you…" He said with a smile on his face, and then stopped and looked at his face. The sun no longer hid Naruto's smile of happiness and pain, "Get off my cart," He said coldly.

Naruto looked disappointed at this, and jumped off the cart, minding his right shoulder.

"Hey, he just saved your cart. You can't just let him go…" He too, stopped and looked at the boy's face. The three whisker marks on each side of his face were visible beneath the dirt, and his blonde hair which looked sort of brown on his head gave him away. "Get away from me," He sneered, and walked away.

The crowd, in turn, saw the boy for who he truly was, and walked off, looks of pride and awe on their faces replaced with scornful ones.

Naruto sighed, and clutched his shoulder. He would have to take care of it soon, and no one ever seemed eager to help him.

He walked on, oblivious to the looks of contempt burning through him. He bumped into someone, and muttered a quick "Sumimasen." Before continuing on.

"Oi, watch where you're going, gaki." The man cried out to Naruto's retreating form.

Naruto just stared at his feet, planning on how he would get food, ignoring the voice that had been calling him out.

He walked onwards and went down an alleyway. He put his back against the wall, and looked to the sky. It was getting gray and over the sounds of the city, Naruto could hear thunder.

He propped himself against the wall, and dug into the trashcan that was by his side. He found a relatively clean sock, and stuffed it inside his mouth. He put his left hand palm forward against the wall, and pulled his right shoulder forward. He prepared himself, and pushed with his left hand, while simultaneously pushing his right shoulder back. He bit down on his sock, as he felt his shoulder right itself, and he sighed in relief and took the sock from his mouth, throwing it back into the trash.

"You've got some guts to do that, eh gaki?" said a voice from the beginning of the alley. It was the exact same voice as before.

Naruto could have cursed then. He had been careless, and now he was possibly going to pay for it. Naruto turned to look at the man, and inched his hand closer to a rock that had been lying near.

"Who are you?" He called out, grabbing the rock in his fist.

"You're not polite at all, are you gaki?" Laughed the man, walking forward into the dark alley. Naruto gripped the rock tighter, as he saw the man up close.

He was tall, and had short black hair. His skin seemed lightly tanned, and he carried some long object on his back, wrapped in cloth.

The most interesting thing that Naruto noted about this man though, was that he had no eyebrows.

"I saw what you did, gaki," said the man, stepping towards Naruto. If Naruto backed away, he would be going even deeper into the alley. That would mean less of a chance at escaping. He loosened his grip on the rock he held in his hand, but kept it ready, prepared to use it as a distraction so he could escape. "I was pretty impressed. Not every five year old little boy can just scale a wall, land on a cart, injuring himself in the process, and then go and fix it."

He walked beside Naruto, and sat himself down beside him. "You live alone right?"

Naruto only nodded, looking at the man curiously. This was the first time he had a conversation with someone who didn't already not like him. "Well, seeing as how impressed I was with your skills, how about I make you a job offer?"

The man with no eye brows looked straight at the boy, gauging his reaction. He only seemed to be five, yet he could already hide things so well. "What kind of job offer?" Naruto asked him cautiously. He had heard of people offering "jobs" to kids, and they weren't very nice jobs.

The eyebrow less man laughed, noting that the boy had mistaken his words. "I'll train you to become my apprentice, and when the time comes, I'll let you take shinobi missions with me."

"Shinobi missions?" asked Naruto. He had seen shinobi before, but he didn't understand what this man was talking about.

"Yes, gaki. Shinobi missions. I'll train you, and you can become stronger."

Naruto put his hand to his left hand on his chin, and his right hand underneath his elbow.

'There are a lot of risks here,' he said, looking at the man. 'But it might get me out of here….'

"Let me think," Naruto responded.

"Then let's think over a bowl of ramen, my treat. I'm hungry as hell, and I don't think you're better off."

It was true as Naruto's stomach soon growled. He blushed in embarrassment, and the man helped him up, and they both walked out of the alleyway together.

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They had eaten at a ramen stand, which had surprisingly opened their arms wide to welcome Naruto.

Naruto ordered miso ramen, while the eyebrow less man ordered a shrimp. During their wait, Naruto learned some things about the man. His name was Momochi Zabuza, and he was originally a ninja from the Hidden Mist. He had come to Konoha, in search of an apprentice.

The ramen had arrived, and Naruto and Zabuza had eaten in silence, until two black clothed individuals barged into the shop.

"Momochi Zabuza!" One of them cried out, wearing a bear mask.

"You must die, for defecting from your village and illegally entering ours!" Another of them called, wearing a bird mask.

Zabuza just stared for a moment, and ate his ramen. Naruto was staring between the ninja, and his new friend Zabuza, with shock on his face.

"Well, that's a shame, then, ANBU-san…" Zabuza said, picking up his bowl and slurping up the rest of the food. He turned to the owner of the store, who was cowering behind the counter. "I'm sorry for this, and I thank you for the wonderful food."

Suddenly, Zabuza sprang up, carrying the blonde boy with him. "I can't let you kill me yet." He said, before running out of the store with blonde boy under his arms.

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They had him backed into a corner. He had no where to go, and he was surrounded by a crowd of people, slowly closing in on him and the blonde kid. The bodies of the two ANBU lay on the floor, their heads missing. Naruto was holding onto his leg behind him, as Zabuza held his sword in front of him.

He would have to think of a plan soon, or he and the boy wouldn't be able to escape.

He turned to look at the boy behind him, and suppressed a sigh. He held so much potential, but he couldn't risk it now.

He turned to face him, and muttered a quick "Gomen."

Flashback End

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He woke up, to the sounds of shouting and metal on metal. Waves of villagers stood in front of him, their faces contorted into masks of happiness.

Zabuza's back was facing him, and Naruto could see the giant sword he had from behind him.

"Kuso!" He yelled, before flinging his sword forward, swiping off the head of the Chunin whose kunai he had just deflected. "Wake up gaki, and get the hell out of here!" He yelled to Naruto, who had his hands situated on his back, feeling the scrapped flesh there.

Naruto's eyes widened, as Zabuza took a kunai to his stomach. "Dammit gaki. Hurry the hell up and go, so I CAN LEAVE!" He yelled the last part out, pulling the kunai out of his stomach and throwing it at the one who had thrown it. "YOU DROPPED THAT!"

Naruto stared at Zabuza once, before nodding, and running down a dark alleyway, and out of sight.

The crowd protested, but did nothing. The eye brow less man had jumped in front of the entrance to the alleyway, and was now blocking the path to the blonde demon.

"You want him, you go through me." He said with a snarl on his features. He held the giant blade in his hands, facing forward and towards the crowd of villagers. They did not want to go near him, after seeing him fight off two ANBU and a Chunin.

"Fine," A voice called from the roofs, and before he could turn and face him, a slim katana was held through his chest. Behind him stood Danzo, leader of military affairs for the village. A bandage was worn over his right eye, a souvenir from the Kyubi's attack, five years ago.

He slid the katana out of the nuke-nin, and turned to face the villagers. "As the head of military affairs for the village of Konoha, I decree that Uzumaki Naruto by executed immediately, for consorting with a known criminal, Momochi Zabuza." Cheers resounded throughout the plaza, as Danzo made this declaration.

It was widely known that Danzo was a staunch supporter of the group who wanted Kyubi's death, but he had disagreed on everyone with one thing. He did not want to kill it for revenge, but to protect the village. He believed that killing the Kyubi before its container lost control of its unimaginable power was the best possible course of action. Today, his watchers had seen the interaction between Zabuza and Naruto, and it would inevitable that they would both become stronger in each other's presence, thus becoming a possible threat to Konoha. It was his job to combat such threats, and as such, he had ordered their executions.

"Let us go, citizens. We shall go forth, and execute the Uzumaki for his crime against Konoha." He shouted to the crowd, and his words were met with cheers.

"Finally!" They called, "The demon dies this day!"

Danzo sighed, shaking his head slightly. Why couldn't these people understand?

Uzumaki Naruto wasn't the demon. He was just a victim of chance, just as the rest of the world was.

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He ran on the rooftops, the Chunin and Jonin chasing him. He knew these rooftops, and he knew all the shortcuts, which was why he hadn't been caught yet. Sooner or later, however, his luck would run out. The Moon was in the sky, hidden by the clouds.

He had been running, for oh so long. Below him, the crowd threw all sorts of things at him, hoping to hit him and hinder him long enough for them to catch him.

Another rock hit him in his back, but he just gritted his teeth and moved on. This was his consequence, his punishment. He shouldn't have talked to Zabuza. He shouldn't even have considered his offer. He should have done exactly what the villagers had done, and ignored him. Maybe this was betrayal…

He stood at the top of the building. Bellow him, six stories down, was a crowd of people, some with Jonin vests and some with Chunin. He had nowhere to go now, as the Jonin and Chunin surrounded him from behind.

"Kill him, kill the demon!" The villagers yelled, faces filled with glee. The ninja looked at Naruto, whose eyes were wide and frightened. Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes, as he looked all around him.

These ninja were trained to always obey orders, but this one seemed too hard to follow. They couldn't help but see this boy as innocent. They were ninja, and understood a hard life. They saw it in his movements, and by the way his eyes moved wearily around him. They understood the fact that the boy was not the Kyubi, and would never be. He was still a threat though, as he contained its power, and that was potentially dangerous.

They looked to Danzo, who was staring grimly at the boy.

"Uzumaki Naruto," He called out, making Naruto swivel his head towards him. "Do you understand why you need to be executed?"

Naruto just looked at him, as the crowd chanted, "Demon, Demon, Demon!" Naruto then nodded, "Because I'm a demon…" He whispered, the shinobi's trained ears catching it.

He winced. The boy actually thought he was a demon. "No, Uzumaki-san." He said, sympathetically, "You are no demon." He looked over to the crowd, who was still chanting. "These villagers are fools, but they are this village's fools. They are a part of this village. It is our duty, as shinobi, to protect this village." Naruto nodded in understanding.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" Naruto said quietly, and Danzo shook his head. "One of these shinobi is going to kill you." He pointed to the group surrounding Naruto.

"Because I'm a demon, right?" Naruto said, and before Danzo could say anything, he continued. "I'm a threat to this village. It's your job to eliminate me."

"I've already said, you are not the demon." Danzo told him.

"If not, then what am I?"

Danzo sighed, resigned to his fate. The boy was going to die soon, so he should die with the knowledge of why. "You are the container of the Kyubi no Yoko. The Nine Tailed Fox." He told him bluntly, not giving him time to process this new information. "Five years ago, when the fox attacked us, the Yondaime went forward to meet the beast. Out of all the babies in that hospital, he chose you. Not even his former sensei knew why, but when he rode out on the Toad Boss, he took you with him. He fought with the Kyubi to a stand still, and persuaded the Shinigami to place the Kyubi inside you, instead of devouring its immortal soul. That is why, when you dies, he will die." He stopped, and looked for Naruto's face, looking for a reaction.

This boy would have made a fine shinobi if he had been giving the choice to live that long. Already, he knew the fundamental basics of being a ninja, and he had more stamina than most adults, having run the most of the Chunin and some of the Jonin ragged. He was able to keep his emotions within him, so as not to give anything away. The ability to keep something inside was essential to a shinobi, who might have important information they needed to keep secret. To add to his prowess, he had already lived five years on his own, able to survive on the streets of Konoha. Indeed, had this boy lived, he would have become an excellent shinobi.

"Having you live runs the risks of having you lose control. We cannot take you in, for you are already too old, and have seen the seeds of disloyalty before. Today's incident with Zabuza was a testament to that. If we exile you from the village, you still run the risk of seeking revenge, or losing control in another village, shining the blame on us. Keeping you locked away with nothing is worse than death, and cannot be possible, for no jail sans a living one can keep the Kyubi at bay. Therefore, our only logical choice is to kill you." He finished, and looked at Naruto once more.

The boy scoffed, and looked down to the crowd. His attitude had changed, and now he held acceptance in his eyes. "I am no threat to this village," He said coldly. "The mind of this village is a threat to itself."

He turned and looked straight at Danzo, his blue eyes filled with acceptance. "Before I die, I want to ask you something, something I've always wanted to know." He looked to the sky, and gave a sigh, "What is,"

His words were cut off as a spear was thrown, impacting against the young boy's back. His eyes slowly closed, as he stumbled around the roof, the tiles shaking beneath his feet and his arms limp.

Danzo and the rest of the shinobi looked on in shock, as blood came from the boy's mouth. They hadn't expected a villager to be bold enough to actually carry out the execution themselves.

The crowd cried out in excitement, the source of all their anger bleeding from the spear in his back. Cheers were raised, as they attempted to find out who had done so. None of them noticed, as the robed figure left the crowd silently.

Naruto continued, stumbling on the roof, his vision going darker and darker. He looked up once, and saw the Moon. Apparently, it had come out from behind the clouds, shining its brilliance down upon the land. Naruto gave one last smile, as he saw Danzo rushing forward trying to stop his fall.

He fell, back first, where the pitch fork had hit him, the whole six stories. To him, his fall seemed forever to him, as his life flashed before his eyes.

Images of the trashcans he had lived in, all the people who had sneered at him. The nights he spent hungry, as he listened to the family inside the house behind him laugh merrily as he suffered in the cold. The joy he had felt of having found a whole piece of bread in the garbage, and the sorrow he had felt when he realized it was fake. At least now he wouldn't have to take it anymore, and he would finally be able to rest in peace without worrying.

He smiled one last time, before he hit the ground, the force of it driving the spear upwards through his heart, impaling it and driving the vital organ from his body.

He lay there for a mere second, feeling the peaceful and cold embrace of death, as his eyes looked to the sky. Then he died, with a spear impaling his heart at its end inside his body.

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"I'm sorry it had to turn out this way, Naruto-kun." The old man said, flipping the hood from his head. Though the moon was still shining, the shadows he hid in were enough to hide his facial features. "I couldn't bear to see you like this anymore. When I die, I hope the Shinigami forgives my soul."

A single tear dripped down his face, before he brought his hand up and wiped it away.

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Naruto stood in line in front of the gates, the gates which barred his way into Hell and an eternity of peace.

He had ended up here, shortly after dying. He felt nothing, except the unbearable cold. He had thought it would better than this, but it wasn't.

The place he was in was a red sky filled land. Terrible tall mountains rose around him, and lightening flashed across the sky often. He had once seen a bolt of it hit someone only three places ahead of him, incinerating the poor soul. The only good thing was that now he wouldn't have to wait so long, as he was the second in line.

He looked up at the massive figure of the Shinigami. Due to the lighting in Hell, he had a red ghostly appearance.

The soul in front of him was shivering and stuttered when the Shinigami asked his name.

"D-D-D-Doro M-Minese!" He cried out fearfully, as the Shinigami had shot him an angry glare at his stuttering.

The God of Death nodded, and held out his hand towards the man, and gasped him with a gigantic palm. He squeezed, and something green came from his body, leaving only red behind. The green part passed through the Shinigami's hand, while the red part of it stayed there.

"Accepted." The Shinigami said, letting the red part float away into the recesses of Hell. "Next." He called out, looking at Naruto.

He walked forward, and said quietly, "Uzumaki Naruto."

The Shinigami looked at him, and then bellowed out. "Say it louder, boy!" His voice thundered through the land, and a fierce howl of the wind came.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!" He cried out fearfully, with his eyes closed.

The Shinigami 'hmped' and Naruto opened his eyes. The Death God's hand was coming closer to him, and wrapped around his body. He squeezed, but Naruto felt nothing and saw nothing leave his body.

The Shinigami looked confused for a moment, and then grinned evilly at Naruto.

"Rejected."

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**Well, there's Chapter 1 of Ghost of Existence. I'll continue this story to Chapter 2, where I'll decide where it goes from there. If you need to contact me or something, leave a review or find me playing 2Moons. I'm on the Horsea server (or the one that sounds like that). All the other information is on my profile, beside contact. **

**Some of these ideas came from Rivers of Immortality, which I haven't put on this site. That story and this was inspired by the saying "At what speed must I live, to be able to see you again?" from the trailer of 5 Centimeters Per Second. **

**Tell me if you need any suggestions, I made a mistake, or if you have any questions, **

**Dokugin**

**Word Count: 5,411 **

**Page Count: 12**

**Time: Roughly 5 hours **


	2. Chapter 2: Ghost, Chain, and Dagger

**Here's Chapter 2**

**This chapter doesn't seem as serious as the other chapters I've ever done, so if it doesn't sound like me, I'm sorry.**

**Any questions, just ask and I'll answer… unless it's about me. Then I'll direct you to someone who can help you.**

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Chapter 2: Ghost, Chain, and Dagger

He stood on the edge of the tower, looking down at the carnage and destruction below him.

It began not 10 minutes ago, but already there was wide spread death in the village below him. The two invading forces came from two sides, one from the East, and one from the West, in an effort to crush them. It was so far effective, but there was a reason for that.

He hadn't taken part yet.

He wasn't being arrogant; it was the truth.

He was definitely stronger than most of these ninja combined. Maybe those other ninja were stronger, but he knew he could easily wipe out all three of these forces by himself. Then again, he could probably take almost the entire village by himself, and easily slaughter them without so much as a scratch.

He sighed, realizing the futility of his thoughts.

He knew almost nothing would be able to touch him these days.

Once again, a sigh escaped his mouth.

Maybe the Shinigami would let him go one day….

A laugh resounded in his mind, and Naruto sighed for the third time.

"Got to get these pointless hopes out of my mind," He said to the wind, his voice becoming one with it and giving his voice a hollowly sound. He looked down, and saw the Konoha nins getting killed. "Time to go fulfill my god given debt," He said, his voice once again becoming one with the wind.

Then he jumped faced down into the ground from 300 feet from the sky, sinking into the ground as soon as he impacted against it.

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"Kuso!" Anko shouted, her wrist flicking forward, a kunai flying from it. It caught the oncoming Oto-nin in the shoulder, the force of it flinging him around. Her foot shot out, hitting another Oto-nin that had been approaching her in the ankle, breaking it and effectively crippling him. Before the Oto-nin could fall, however, the back of her palm came, and hit the man underneath his chin, breaking his neck. She had no time to rest, as a Suna-nin came forward, a short dagger in his hands. He jumped into the air, a fatal mistake, as Anko had pivoted on her right foot, and spun around. Her left foot caught the prospective killer to a halt, and the force of the blow sent him back a couple of feet into another Suna-nin. Two more Oto-nin approached quickly, keeping themselves low to the ground. Each of them held a guitar like object in their hands, which they were strumming rapidly. Anko resisted the urge to drop her weapons and cover her ears, as the sounds were seeping into to her mind and disrupting her thoughts.

She grunted in pain, as a fist was slammed into her face, and she was blown back into a wall.

These waves of Oto and Sand nin were endless, coming in ground after group. She, along with the other Tokubetsu Jonin, had been forced to sit in and watch the Chunin exams.

It was sort of interesting, as a kunoichi named Tsuki Yoko had gone against the genius prodigy, Hyuga Neji, and had fought against him in the first round of the Chunin, Final Exam.

Her prowess showed in the way she fought against the Hyuga's Kaiten, using her extraordinary strength to destroy the ground beneath their feet, making the terrain rocky and hard to maneuver in. This also gave the Hyuga a disadvantage, as he was no longer able to use his Kaiten, which required him to have a flat surface area. This also put her at a disadvantage also, as it was difficult to see past the rocky outcrops she had created.

In the end, she had lost her way, and had run directly into Neji's Juken, as it slammed into her 64 times, courtesy of his Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms). She was knocked unconscious and Shiranui Genma, a fellow Tokubetsu Jonin, had declared him winner.

Afterwards, the lazy genius Nara Shikimaru defeated a Suna kunoichi by the name of Temari, the amount of shadows created by the earlier battle giving Shikimaru a huge advantage with his Kagemane no jutsu.

After that, the brother of Temari, Kankuro, forfeited his battle with the bug user Aburame Shino, who looked slightly peeved at his decision.

The battle after theirs was the one every one had been waiting for, the main reason why many damiyos and important people came from all over the continent, hoping to see a battle that promised to be great.

A true clash of the Titans, only scaled down to miniature versions and with less power.

Sabuku no Gaara versus Uchiha Sasuke, the last loyal member of the illustrious Uchiha clan.

Many were people were worried the Uchiha would not show, as he had been absent from the beginning of the Final Exam. He arrived just in time though, right before he was set to battle against Gaara with his sensei Kakashi by his side.

He had fought against Gaara for a little while, using a combination of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, none of which could penetrate Gaara's defense. In turn, the red haired boy had manipulated his sand in an attempt to defeat the fighting Uchiha. Unfortunately, the Sharingan using boy was too quick for the sand wielder. It was a stand still for the longest times, each giving blows and dodging them, or in Gaara's case, defending.

It was finally stopped, when the Gaara had covered his body in a dome of sand. Sasuke had tried punching through, first with brute force followed by various jutsu, but none of which worked.

Then he unveiled the reason why he had been late. The Chidori, Kakashi's only original jutsu. Even the Kazekage was impressed at the twelve year old boy. He had already learned to use an A-Ranked Jutsu in less a month.

It pierced the side of Gaara's dome, and the sound of screaming could be heard from within. What happened next was a blur, as a jutsu befell the area of the arena, knocking out all those who had been unfortunate to feel its effects, sans the ANBU, Tokubetsu Jonin, Jonin, Sakura, and Yoko, who had all immediately recognized the effects of it and had cast it off at once. Kakashi had ordered his student Sakura to help some of the Tokubetsu Jonin in waking up the civilians and other shinobi, along with her teammate Yoko, while the other ninja helped repel the shinobi attacking the gates.

After finding out that Sasuke was nowhere to be found, Kakashi had summoned one of his ninken, a little pug named Pakkun. The dog led Shikimaru, who had only feigned sleep, Sakura, and Yoko away to go find Sasuke.

The rest of them had stayed and fought.

Along the way, Anko and Genma had been separated from the rest of the Jonin and Tokubetsu Jonin.

She picked her body up from the ground where she had fallen, and flung her hand out, calling out a Sen'eijashu. Several snakes flew towards the ninja attacking Genma, and he fell dead.

Anko jumped high into the air, and flung two kunai at two different opponents while upside down. They struck both of them dead on, one through the heart and one through the head.

She landed gracefully on the floor, her hands held out in front of her and willing to use more kunai if possible.

"We need to find the others," Genma said from behind her, throwing the senbon he had in his mouth at a ninja foolishly running into them. "We can't keep this up forever, and my arm is getting tired."

"Stop whining, Genma." Anko said, handling the kunai she had in her hand with ease. She ducked low to avoid a horizontal sword slash at her, and held her kunai in a reverse grip. After the blade had passed over her head, she went back up, holding the kunai in her right hand and bringing it sliding across the throat of the sword wielding shinobi. She then flipped the kunai over, so the blade was not reversed, and flicked her wrist, watching with satisfaction as it pinned someone's vest to the wall, impaled through their chest. "We're supposed to be Tokubetsu Jonin after all."

She laughed merrily, as she snatched a kunai out of the air, and flung it back to the thrower.

Her laugh was cut short however, when a kunai slashed through her left leg, causing her to nearly fall. She gave a cry of pain, which concerned Genma, who was curretly fighting hand to hand with a shinobi.

"You alright?" he asked, blocking a strike to his groin with his knee. Then he punched the man in the face, causing him to bleed and fall back.

"I'm fine," Anko said, taking another kunai from her pouch and spinning it by the handle. She blocked a kunai in the air with it, and stabbed the kunai into the shoulder of a shinobi who had run up to her. She took the kunai he held in his hands, and slashed it across the top of his skull, cutting cleanly through. Then she threw the kunai at another individual coming towards her.

She reached into her kunai pouch, only to find she had none left.

"Kuso," She cursed under her breath, kicking out to a shinobi who dodged with her good leg. "I'm out of kunai."

She pivoted on her bad foot, causing her mild pain, and delivered a straight kick to an oncoming shinobi. A Katon jutsu came towards them, and they both had to dodge to jump.

"We can't take much more of this," Genma panted, "These guys may all be Chunin level and easy, but there are just too much of them."

"You're right, we should re…"

She suddenly shivered for a second, as did the rest of the ninja around them.

Something very cold had just passed by them, causing them all to pause.

It was a sunny day, so how could it have been cold. It was akin to jumping into a cool lake in the summer, and coming out to meet the cold chill of winter.

On all the minds of the shinobi, they thought the same thing, 'What the hell was that?'

Anko herself thought that, as she shivered again, remembering the sensation. She caught a kick coming towards her middle, and pulled the attacker towards her. Then she gave him a head butt, combining the momentum of the pull and the force of her push to knock the man out.

Behind her, Genma suddenly cried out.

She twirled around, hitting two ninja in the face with her fists in the process.

"What?" She cried out. Then she saw Genma's back. He had a fist impaled through the right side of his chest, a big man standing in front of him. "Genma!" She cried, grabbing two kunai from the air that had been sailing towards her. She then threw them, but didn't think of the consequences.

A shiver ran through her at the last second, and she wasn't able to throw them with all the force she could have. It turned out to be a semi-good, semi-bad thing, as the two kunai hit Genma in the stomach, and impaling them inside him with a soft thud. The kunai only went an inch in at each place, but it still didn't lessen the pain.

A more powerful shiver ran through them all, and they all froze.

"How pathetic. Think before you throw, baka." A voice said from behind the big man. It seemed to flow with the wind, which had become cold, and distort it somewhat, giving it a hollow sound.

The big man slid Genma off his fist, turning around.

As he turned, Anko caught a quick glimpse of white, before charging the big man from behind. A snake came from, her wrist, and hit the man on his neck. It bit down, the poison acting fast.

The man gave a scream before falling over onto the floor, revealing the person that had spoken.

"Bourei…" Anko whispered, before a cold chill hit her skin.

The man stood in front of her. He had pale skin. He had white hair, which was short in the front and only went down to his forehead. In the back, it was long enough to tie into a ponytail, and went possibly down past his shoulder blades. Beneath his right eye, on the cheek, was the kanji for Life, written in black ink. He was wearing a white trench coat, a little like hers except a different color, but he had two vertical lines starting from one side of his coat, over the shoulder, and down the other side, one on each side of his coat. Beneath the trench coat, he seemed to be wearing a simple black shirt, which was tucked in and seemed to shine a little. A large white belt obscured this fact from view though. He wore black pants, which also seemed to shine, and ended on his feet, upon which were a pair of black shinobi sandals. The most interesting thing about him, however, was the fact he seemed see through a little, as if he weren't there.

"Maybe you should tend to your comrade. After all, I'm not going to be here soon. Everyone in this sector is already dead." and it was true. The ground behind the ghost was littered with bodies. All of them were torn apart and frozen, no blood spilling onto the street.

Anko just stared at him, fear and wonder on her face. This was the Konoha no Bourei (I think that's Konoha's Ghost…I'm not sure though.). She was probably the closest person to ever be by him, as people had only caught glimpse of him.

"Hey, hebi-hime…" He said, his voice meshing with the wind. He walked back and forth, her eyes following him with each step. He let out a sigh and pointed to Genma, who was lying on the floor bleeding. "When you stop staring and wondering, take the senbon guy to someone, because he's dying right now." Genma groaned in his unconscious sleep.

A moment passed, and Anko shook her head. It was no time to be hallucinating about urban myths. She quickly picked up Genma, and ran off, shouting out, "Thanks, hallucination!"

He just sighed, watching the dust cloud the woman made. This village truly was filled with idiots…

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"Ah!" Sasuke cried out, the fist made of sand crashing into him, sending him flying into a tree, to be caught by Yoko.

"Thanks, Yoko-chan." She smiled a cheeky smile, and landed on the ground.

Yoko was considered by many to be a very pretty girl. She wore simple clothes, just a white shirt, and shinobi pants that went to her shins. At her feet, she wore plain shinobi sandals. Over her white shirt, she wore a black short sleeve shirt, which she always left open. Her hair normally lay back and was long enough to go down her back, but in battle, she tied it into a ponytail. Setting on the bridge of her nose was always a pair of glasses, framed with black. They did nothing to hide her startling green eyes, however.

"Don't mention it, Sasuke-kun." She said, before Sasuke blacked out in her arms.

Ever since the academy, many people thought they would do well together. After all, they were the best rookies at the academy, and had always tied each other in everything, with Sasuke having more speed, while Yoko had the strength.

Many people, namely the boys and girls of their respective fan clubs at the academy, were jealous of their "relationship" which in reality, a rivalry where one would try to out do the other.

"Sasuke-kun!" cried the pink haired girl, Sakura, running over to them with Pakkun. Even surpassing their intelligence, Sakura was the smartest of the three of them. She was their tactician, the one who would make the plans. At first, many teams complained of the unevenness of the teams, but soon saw the advantages of having the top two rookies and the highest graded girl in the class paired together.

They all worked surprisingly well with each other, even managing to take Kakashi by surprise during the bell test, when Sakura figured out they needed to work as a team, and made a plan which Sasuke and Yoko had followed, even getting the bells from Kakashi, right before the time ran out.

Initially, Sakura was reluctant to work with Yoko, hearing of her special relationship with Sasuke. After having Yoko explain, however, left her feeling hopeful, and had enabled them to complete missions not many Genin teams could handle.

Sakura ran over to Sasuke, and examined him. He seemed to be bleeding internally, and could probably not take another direct hit from Gaara, who had morphed into some hybrid monster like thing.

"We need a plan, Sakura-chan." Yoko said, looking up at the rampaging Gaara. Sasuke had hoped to defeat the boy alone, and had been doing quite well, until he had changed.

After that, it had taken all three of them, except for Shikimaru, who had left to detour their pursuers, to try and save Sasuke from Gaara's wrath.

"From what I've seen of him," Sakura said, analyzing the situation, "He seems like he's really strong."

Yoko could not help but shake her head at the obvious information. "Well, of course he's strong. He's beaten us."

Sakura thought for a moment, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "That sand of his seems to stop all of our attacks." She said, after thinking. "All of our attacks would be futile, unless we had Lee's speed, which none of us has."

"Then what do we do?" Yoko asked, worriedly looking at the half human, half sand monster thing Gaara had become.

""I hate to say it, and Sasuke would hate me for saying it if he were awake, but I think we need to make a strategic retreat."

"YOU WANT US TO RUN AWAY!" Bellowed Yoko, angry at the mere thought. She no longer cared of attracting the attention of the Gaara, who had looked over at the sound of the voice.

"Yoko-chan, calm down." Sakura said, in a vain attempt to shut her up. Gaara was looming dangerously closer, and she doubted they would be able to defend themselves against him. "We're not running away. It's a strategic retreat…."

"STRATEGIC RETREAT MY ASS!" She yelled, Gaara a couple of yards away from them. "THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M GOING TO…"

Sakura screamed, as Gaara raised his fist, and sent it crashing down where Yoko was.

Yoko barely had time to turn and widen her eyes, before the fist came down.

She saw her life go before her eyes.

Memories of her family, her little brother whom she had promised to take him up the highest tree in Konoha, and look down at it. Her father, who had been so proud of her when she graduated from the Academy. Her mother, who had supported her all the way. She would soon be leaving them all behind, so she closed her eyes and waited, not wanting to see her end.

After a moment, she felt nothing, except a cold chill on her skin.

Opening her eyes, she saw a shadow on the ground.

Looking above her, was the sand fist of Gaara, which was frozen in mid air. She stared, fascinated by the fist that was above her.

"**Baka-nin," **said a voice, mixed with the wind. "Get out from under the hand of sand, so I don't hurt you and hurt me."

Yoko looked behind her to see a boy, dressed in white and around her height, with his arms folded and looking at her with dead blue eyes.

The ground beneath his feet was had frosted over, and it seemed like he was the reason the fist had stopped.

Yoko was just looked at him in wonder. He seemed so unearthly and unnatural, at least until he sighed.

"Why do all of you stupid ninja just stare? Aren't you guys trained to face things you don't normally see?" The boy put his palm to his forehead, and shook his head in disappointment.

Yoko just stared at him some more, and he shook his head. "Yondaime-teme…" He said, looking above him. "Why'd you do this…?" He turned his attention back to Yoko, who seemed to be recovering.

"Are you focused now?" He asked her, to which she pointed to herself and quirked an eye brow. He just sighed, and cursed under his breath. "I guess you're not. If you value your life though, I suggest you get out from here. The ice is thawing, and when it does, all this sand will fall on you, obliterating all the work I've done to save you."

Yoko shook her head, to clear her thoughts, and jumped out from underneath the hand, as all the sand fell. She watched as the boy sighed again, as the sand crushed him beneath itself.

Yoko just stared in shock. If only she had been fast enough to save his life as he had been, then she might have saved him…

"Good," The boy's voice coming from behind her. He was leaning against a tree, his arms folded. "It looks like you actually reacted this time."

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y," She couldn't finish her sentence.

"I should be dead?" He finished for her.

She said nothing, and only nodded her head.

"My dear baka-nin." He said, looking her straight in the eye. "A man can only die once, and I've already fulfilled that part of the bargain."

Her eyes widened to unimaginable sizes and she between him, and then at her teammates.

She screamed, and ran over to her teammate with the pink hair, grabbed her and Sasuke, and ran. Sakura looked bewildered, having been forcibly taken from her place by a panicked Yoko.

He sighed. "These Konoha-nin are fools."

A fist made of sand smashed down where he was, covering him completely.

He sighed once more, and floated to the top of the fist and stood on it. It looked like it had taken less than a single second, as if he had just teleported there. (no, he can't teleport.)

The eyes of the sand monster widened, as a translucent chain came from the left hand sleeve of the boy's coat.

"Guess I have to do my duty then." He said, grabbing hold of the seven foot long chain by the side closest to his hand. At the very end of the chain was a dagger like object, which seemed more solid than the rest of the chain. He lifted it the chain, and swung it around the fist of the beast. He caught it by the other side of the chain, the dagger side facing him. (think Daggertail from Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones)

He pulled up, splitting the fist in half, as the chain tore through it.

The red headed kid howled in pain. "Who… who are you?" He questioned him.

"A ghost," Was his simple response.

"A chain." He took the dagger that had been on the end of the chain, and held it in his right hand. He held his left arm straight out, and the chain seemed to suck itself back into the sleeve of his coat.

He held up the dagger he had taken from the chain. It was a bit longer than a normal one, at a whole foot long. It was a pure white, and translucent, just like the chain.. "And a dagger."

He suddenly sunk into the ground, faster than Gaara could comprehend. He felt cold suddenly, and as fast as it was there, it was gone. He looked down, for he had a feeling of what had just happened. The only arm of his half Shukaku form was cut off, and frozen from the elbow down.

He stared at in shock, and then put his head back up.

The boy was standing on the branch right across from him, facing him. He had the blade held reversed in his right hand, his left hand laying limply at his side.

"What are you?" He asked, fear going into his eyes. He had never felt cold before. He had never faced an opponent as fast as this. Not even Rock Lee who had the Gates opened moved as fast as this man.

He just sighed, and looked straight at him, "You shouldn't ask questions during a fight." He said wisely, before suddenly disappearing off the branch.

Gaara felt the cold again, and attempted to move.

He could do nothing however, as the branch he had been standing on had suddenly fallen, taking him along with it.

His hand shot out, sand forming around it. He shot it out, towards another tree, hoping to impale it and stop his fall.

It did not work however, as in a second, the arm of sand was frozen, half of it missing.

Gaara watched as a frozen chunk of sand landed on the forest floor and broke, as he also fell to the floor with a thud that sounded through the green forest.

He lay there, looking at the sky for a moment.

"What… is he?" He asked himself.

He felt cold, and it stayed this time, not like the last two times, when it only lasted for a moment. He shivered subconsciously.

He turned his head to the ground, and looked at his right hand. He tried moving it, but it seemed as if something had frozen it.

He tried moving the rest of his body, but it seemed he was now fully frozen.

"Do not waste your time in the beginning." The voice said. Gaara hadn't noticed it before, but when the man walked, everything seemed to grow a layer of frost around it, as if turned cold by his mere presence. "Do not try to gauge your opponent's strength. You must go all out from the get go, or you create a risk for yourself."

"What risk?" Gaara asked. He tried moving the sand without his hands, but it wouldn't respond.

"There is a possibility for everything. Though nothing is true, and everything is permissible, that does not mean there are no possibilities." He responded, going to Gaara and putting his face right next to his, "Do you surrender?"

Gaara tried even harder to move his sand, but nothing he could do would work. He did not respond, and the man chuckled a little. "You wish to fight, even at the end."

He continued trying, refusing to be beaten by this man. There were no sounds in his mind, which was new to him. All his life, he had heard the maniacal screams of the one-tailed bijuu, but this was the first time he heard nothing. It was as if this man was able to silence him, without doing a thing.

"Your sand won't work for you." He said, crossing his arms. "This is my last offer. Do you surrender?"

Gaara desperately tried to get a hold of Shukaku, or his sand. He did not want to be beaten by this man, who hadn't even given him a fight.

"Very well then," The ghost said, the sound of his chain falling from his arm as the individual links clinked together. "Say hello to gray man for me."

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He raised the chain, and attached the dagger onto the end that he had taken it off of.

Just as he was about to bring it down, a gust of wind swept the area, and the dagger impaled itself into a large metal fan which had been thrown to protect the red haired boy.

He just sighed, and looked at the blonde haired girl who had come out of the trees, and was now standing over the boy, her arms held out, as if she could stop him.

"Please, don't kill him!" She screamed at him.

He winced, and backed up one step. Her voice was loud. None the less, he pulled the chain towards him, carrying the fan with it. He caught hold of the fan with his right hand, and struggled to hold it.

'This is a heavy fan..' He thought, putting it down and pulling out his dagger. He swung his chain around with his right hand, hearing as it howled in a circle.

"PLEASE!" She yelled, making him stop twirling the dagger. She was really loud. She put her hands to her face, and sobs racked her body. "Please don't…" She said more quietly.

He just rolled his eyes, and started swinging the chained dagger again. A tear fell from her eye, and landed on the ground. "Please…"

He sighed, and stopped swinging the dagger. She put her hands down, and showed him her puffy red eyes. She had hope in them, though they were quickly dashed when she saw he had just taken the dagger off and was steadily approaching them.

"NO!" She cried out, the force of her voice blowing him back and onto the ground. She had put her hands back onto her face, crying into it more now.

He sighed, exasperated.

He turned to the girl, and looked at her. She was still crying, and was now kneeling and sobbing onto the form of the red haired boy, who looked distressed at their closeness.

He sighed again. "Why do you want to save him?" He said to her.

She sniffled, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "He's my brother," She said, her nose stuffy.

"Well, I have to kill your brother right now," He said as gently as he could, stowing the dagger into his right sleeve. "So could you please…"

"NO!" She cried again, throwing herself over the red haired boy. A sigh escaping from him once again, he walked forward.

She turned her head to face him, and screamed, "STAY AWAY!"

He was blown back once more by the force of her voice. She saw this strange behavior, and looked puzzled by it.

He stood up, looking irritated. "Please… stop yelling." He said, hitting his head to get the sound of her voice out.

"THEN STAY AWAY!" She yelled again.

He was blown back once more; though this time he ended up with his back facing the air.

"I don't believe this…" He grumbled, putting his hands to the ground and bringing himself to his feet.

It seemed the blonde haired girl had figured out that if she screamed enough, then he would get blown back. Hence the reason why she was now screaming at the top of her lungs.

"STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY!" She yelled, louder every time.

Suddenly, she felt cold saw the boy standing a single foot away from her brother, his dagger raised in the air.

"NO!" She screamed at him, still certain it would work.

Before the sound reached his ears, he vanished, leaving the blonde girl even more puzzled.

"Huh?"

"Huh indeed." A voice said from behind her, a hand wrapping itself around her mouth. "I just have to kill your brother and be on my way, okay?" He whispered into her ear. The words sounded sweet to her, but the voice did not.

Her whole body was shivering now, the effects of him going close to her. She felt parts of her body go cold and numb, as they froze. The tips of her ears felt heavy, and the tears that had been spilling from her eyes turn to ice.

"Do you understand?" He said quietly into her ear. His breath seemed to be speeding up the freezing process. Now that she thought of it, every time the boy sighed, his breath was clearly visible.

She shook her head, and she heard and felt him sigh. He let go of her, and she ran back to Gaara.

"What part don't you understand?" He asked her, irritated. He looked to the village, where a large square box was. "Before you answer, don't scream, please." He added.

She closed her mouth quickly. She had been about to do just that. "Why do you want to kill my brother?" She asked him.

He responded, "Because, it's my duty. Your brother had destructive intentions towards this village, and in the bargain I am part of, I have to kill every threat to this village."

She sat there, her hands on her ears. She was rubbing them, and trying to make them get warmer. Gaara still lay frozen off to the side, but she was thawing quickly.

"How do I get you to not kill him?" She asked him quietly, looking at her brother.

He had been listening to everything his sister and the ghost had been saying, even where she had offered to protect him. He had been surprised by that. He thought she would have hated him, he having destroyed almost all chances of her personal life.

"Well…" The ghost said, placing his hand under his chin and scratching.

"I'll do anything," She pleaded, looking at him desperately. "Anything." She added, trying to make sure the ghost caught her drift. After all, she had heard stories of ghosts being _very _lonely.

"Whoa!" The ghost cried out desperately, holding his arms out and shaking them, the chains clinking beneath his sleeves. "I'm not that kind of guy!"

"Then…" She said, looking over to her brother, whose eyes had widened to the size of basketballs.

"No!" The ghost yelled, his eyes also widening. "I admit you look like a nice girl," This caused her to blush slightly, even though it was a little creepy doing that because of a dead man, "But I don't know you!"

"So then, what can I do?" She asked him, still pleading.

He sighed, and looked at her. She looked desperate, while the other one was looking confused.

He sighed again, and said, "Leave your Hidden Village, and join Konoha."

Silence fell over the area, as birds flew overhead.

"What?" disbelief crawling into her voice. Her eyes wide and filled with anger and shock, the same look mirrored on her brother. It would be an embarrassment to them if they just left their village to go to another, much less one that they were going to war with, while they were still having the war. They would immediately be ordered kill on sights if that happened.

"Unless your brother," He said, looking at the red haired boy, then at the girl with blonde hair, "Or you, come to think of it, seeing as you're a threat, though only a minor one," Her face grew red with anger at being called a minor threat, "Switch villages, or I have to kill you."

"NOW, HOLD ON… She screamed, but was cut off, when she saw the ghost disappear into the ground and the cold creep onto her.

"Last time," He whispered into her ear, his breath freezing it upon contact, "I'm going to warn you. Do-not-scream."

She nodded her head fearfully, and he was suddenly back where he had been before, less than a second passing in between.

"Now, what is your decision?" He asked, folding his arms and waiting for their answer.

She looked to her brother, whose eyes were still wide. She could never tell what she was thinking, but it was clear to her now what it was.

She reached to her headband, and pulled a kunai from her pouch.

"We accept." and she made a quick slash across the symbol of Suna, showing her now missing nin status.

A grim smile crept onto the ghost's face. "Good, then let's go and save the Hokage, who is currently fighting for his life over there, while you were making me wait." He pointed his thumb over behind him, to where the square dome was.

"W-W-Wait…" A raspy voice called to them, turning their attentions toward Gaara. "Why are you so powerful?"

The ghost just looked back at him, "Because I have a goal."

"A goal?" rasped out Gaara, who was now beginning to thaw.

"Yes," The ghost said, "A goal."

"What goal?"

"My goal."

"What is you goal?"

"My own goal?" asked the ghost, confused.

The blonde haired girl just smacked her forehead in exasperation. These two could probably go on forever.

"Didn't you say we had important business?" She asked the ghost.

"You're right. We shouldn't be wasting our time here." He continued walking forward, only to be stopped once again by Gaara's call.

"What about me?" He asked, his fingers almost able to move again.

The blonde girl sighed, hoping to avert another useless conversation. "We'll get you later. We can't get you now."

They started walking again, before being stopped by Gaara, for the third time. "Who are you?" He asked, directed to the backs of the two individuals leaving.

"Gaara, don't ask th…."

The boy had stopped, and was now staring at Gaara, his blue eyes colder than the chill he brought with him. "The Konoha no Bourei," He answered, eliciting responses from the two former Suna nins. "Uzumaki Naruto."

It seemed like it hurt for him to say that, as he had immediately taken a wince soon after.

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**So many distractions in my life… but I think I can finally get back to where I once was with the first fours chapters I ever wrote, where they were each at least 5k or more. **

**Anyways, if you have any questions about Naruto in this fic, or the behaviors of the characters, feel free to ask. I know someone is going to wonder….**

**If you see any inconsistencies with this chapter, please notify me immediately, and I will change them. **

**Dokugin**

**Word Count: 6,364 **

**Page Count: 14**

**Time: Roughly 8 hours**


	3. Chapter 3: Yondaime's Bargain

**Chapter 3 everyone.**

**I hope this answers some of your questions, and I hope you enjoy.**

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Chapter 3: Yondaime's Bargain and Naruto's Burden

She ran through the trees, looking at her white clothed companion.

"He's the fearsome Konoha no Bourei, eh?" She said out loud.

"Yes, he is." responded Naruto, was silently disappearing and reappearing in different places, matching the pace of Temari. She blushed in embarrassment, not meaning to say that so he could hear.

He had explained this ability a couple of minutes ago, soon after introducing himself, and after Temari and Gaara had gotten over their shock.

_Flashback….A couple of minutes before_

"_Y-Y-ou're the Bourei?" stuttered Temari, watching him. _

_He looked so bored, though not one bit less than as fearsome as the stories had told. Instead of having red eyes that glowed when they looked at you, or blood splattered over his clothes he looked pretty decent, in a ghostly sense. _

"_Yes," He sighed, "I am the Bourei, the ghost of Konoha." _

"_That is why you were able to defeat me." whispered Gaara, to which Naruto responded, "No, that is not. You did not take the fight seriously, thus you lost." _

"_But, you're not supposed to exist!" Temari shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the ghost. "You're just an urban legend!" _

_He winced at the magnitude of her voice, thanking whatever gods were listening that no such voice existed in Konoha. _

"_No, I'm as real as you both are." He said, looking out over the distance, towards the purple squared dome. "But soon, I won't be." _

"_What do you mean?" Temari asked, curiously. _

"_Many things," He responded vaguely. _

_Temari sighed, knowing she would not get anywhere if she kept asking him questions he didn't want to answer. _

"_Let's go." He said, walking away from the two siblings, Temari following him. _

_The ground beneath his feet was freezing, something that Temari was curious about. _

"_It's death." Naruto said, quietly to the girl behind him. "Everything around me is cold because I feel of death." _

_Temari slowly nodded her head in understanding, right before Naruto sunk into the ground and disappeared. _

"_Are you coming, or not?" Naruto asked her, from 100 feet away. _

"_Y-Y-You," Temari stuttered, pointing a finger at him. _

"_Whatever you say next, think carefully." Naruto said. "I won't tolerate it if you scream." _

"_YOU JUST DISAPPEARED INOT THE GROUND, AND CAME UP OVER THERE!" She exploded. _

_He just sighed, and simply disappeared this time. _

"_I told you not to scream." He whispered into her ear. _

_She shuddered, and shook violently, as something cold passed through her. It was a numbing cold, but it still hurt, the pain of having your sense cut off from you for a second. _

_Naruto suddenly materialized in front of her, looking at her with deadly eyes." Since you've sworn loyalty to this village, I can't physically harm you." He said, looking at her. "But I don't need physical harm when you're numb." _

_He trailed a finger up her arm, running shivers down her back, as parts of it froze. _

_She whimpered slightly. He had changed moods so quickly. _

"_Now, the reason why I can do that," He said, implying he meant the disappearing and reappearing act. "Is because I am a ghost." _

_He looked at Temari, seeing if she understood. She nodded her head fearfully, as he cupped her cheek with his hand, burning into her skin with his cold fingers. "For a second at a time, I can travel completely without a material form. When in this form, there is absolutely no resistance." He looked deep into her eyes, boring into them with his blue ones. "None at all." _

_He let go of her cheek, and disappeared into the ground once more, reappearing exactly where he had been last time. _

"_C'mon, kyoukan-san." He called to her. _(Kyuoukan means scream…or so it says)

_She had only nodded, and touched her cheek, which was already beginning to regain some feeling. _

They had been traveling every since, and the boy had kept disappearing everywhere, and popping up somewhere else, no sign of movement needed. It was strange, as he seemed to be traveling in a zigzag pattern, standing on one branch one second, and going on another the next.

He suddenly stopped, and winced in pain, as if something was hurting him.

"Naruto-san?" Temari asked, jumping down onto the branch beside him.

"We won't make it in time," he responded, the wince wiped off his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know any wind jutsu?" The ghostly man asked suddenly, staring at the square dome.

"If I had my fan with me…" She trailed off, seeing Naruto's eyes, cold and watching her, telling her she didn't answer the question. "Hai."

"I'm going to do something, and I want you to use your wind jutsu to blow me over there." He gestured to the square dome. "Now, stand back and use your jutsu immediately after I do it."

Temari did as she was told, and hopped onto another branch. The boy held his arms out, each facing one side of him, like a cross.

"Hyoumu Kusari, (ice fog chain)." He whispered to the wind, his voice echoing off it and allowing Temari to hear. He thrust out his arms, and from them came two chains, one from each sleeve, with the dagger nowhere to be seen. They wrapped around him, covering him completely. "Genson. (real existence)." He whispered beneath his armor of chains.

They suddenly tightened around the boy, and completely crushed him, causing Temari to gasp.

A fog drifted out from between the cracks in the chain, as they were slowly absorbed by it. A rattling could be heard inside the thick fog, as the chains began to move.

Still in shock, she did nothing.

The fog was ever expanding, as it was now covering Temari. The ground, and everything else was freezing, as it came into contact with the fog. She felt a layer of frost developing on her skin, as she wrapped her arms around her tight. She had never known something this cold, other than the touch of Naruto.

She heard chains clinking as they were moving in the fog, moving inside it.

"Now, you fool," A voice whispered into her ear, echoing into it. "Before it wears off."

It took her a moment to recognize the voice, and almost jumped when she found it was Naruto.

Remembering his words, she said, "But I can't do any massive wind jutsu without my fan, which you stabbed with that dagger of yours." She said to no one, not knowing who to say this to.

"Just use one," The voice whispered in her ear, as her skin tingled.

"Could you make it a little bit warmer?" She asked, shivering. She looked down at her fingers, to see they were covered with frost. The branch beneath her seemed like ice now.

Receiving no answer, she sighed. "Bourei-teme…" She whispered.

Soon after, she felt something pressing against her cheek.

"Just do it…" The voice said, whispering into her ear with a hint of exasperation.

She sighed, watching her breath come from her nose and mouth.

She did some handseals, and stuttered out, "Futon: Soyokaze. (Wind Release: Gentle Breeze, I think…). She held her hands to her mouth and blew, a small breeze coming from her mouth.

"Arigato." The ghost whispered into her ear, before he was blown in the direction of the square dome, covering the town.

Temari watched as the fog left, and gasped suddenly at her surroundings.

Everything was covered with frost, and the water that had previously been dripping off the trees was frozen, making this part of the once green forest into a cold, unforgiving land.

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He always hated using this form.

It was so reliant on others, others who could easily let him down.

Never trust anyone, unless that person was you.

That was his philosophy. He had learned that lesson a long time ago, on that fateful day, eight years ago….

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Flashback…This might answer some of the questions you had.

"R-Rejected?" questioned Naruto after a moment, a quizzical look on his face.

The line filled with the souls of the gone behind him looked at the young blonde haired boy, curious as to the Shinigami's decision.

"Yes, gaki. Re-ject-ed." The Shinigami said, the curves of his lips curved upwards to show the Shinigami's razor sharp and long teeth.

Naruto was at a loss for words. He didn't understand.

"R-Rejected?" He questioned once more, his voice going up an octave.

The Shinigami just smiled down at the boy, his palms now held flat against each other, his fingers tapping the others.

"I don't understand," Naruto mumbled, turning his face away.

"Then I shall explain," The Shinigami stated, still grinning and looking at the boy. Naruto leveled his head upwards, as the Shinigami gestured to the Gate, leading into Hell. "This is where you can find happiness, and eternal peace." He told him, "Beyond these gates, anything and everything is possible. You could find a loving family there," Naruto's eyes widened to impossible sizes as the thought of having a family washed over him and filled him with an unending joy.

"A family?" The little boy asked the God of Death, tears almost streaming down his face. "A real, loving family?"

"Yes, boy. You can find anything in there." He grinned more at the boy. "You can find friends there, and rivals. You can find a life, love, and the calm of death."

Naruto's imagination soared, thinking of the possibilities. Pictures of himself, running beside a loving and caring father, his mother holding onto him and laughing, as he skipped beside them flashed through his mind. A little dog, coming up and barking out a greeting to him, as he picked it up and cuddled with it, and cared for it.

The other souls in line were now getting restless, with the Shinigami telling them all the possibilities of the afterlife. All of them had heard the same thing over and over, while they had been living. "Don't go to hell. It's a bad place, where only the bad people went."

"It's a place where you can find your meaning." The Shinigami finished. "The place you can find the meaning of anything, except two things." The Shinigami grinned, looking down at Naruto, who had been listening attentively.

"What can't you find the meaning of in there, Shinigami-sama?" The little boy asked him curiously.

"Existence," The Shinigami said, lifting up on hand, "And why you can't go in there!"

The Shinigami laughed, both hands shooting out, and digging into Naruto's body.

He gave a sharp cry of pain, as the hands dug deep into him and grasped his soul. He wailed, as the Shinigami spread his hands out, tearing Naruto's soul in three, holding a green soul in his right hand, and a red one in his left.

"W-Why?" He asked, falling down on his knees, clutching his chest as it was slowly going numb.

The Shinigami ate both souls, as he watched Naruto.

"I shouldn't be the one to explain that, boy." The Shinigami stated lazily, licking off each of his fingers one by one.

Other souls got out of line to help Naruto, who was still clutching his chest. "Who? He strained to say, looking up to the Shinigami with one eye, as his other one was closed in pain.

"The man in my stomach, the reason for all your pain, all your suffering in your life." He said, clapping his hands together, and calling out for the next person in line, who wouldn't budge, fearing he would get the same treatment as the boy before him.

"Don't worry," The Shinigami said, gesturing to Naruto. "It's not going to be anything like his. That boy's a special case."

The man nodded, and walked slowly up to the Shinigami.

"Why?" Naruto managed to rasp out, before the Shinigami could have asked the soul's name.

The Shinigami sighed, before saying, "You are an impatient man aren't you?" He sighed again, before opening his mouth wide, and digging his hand into his stomach.

All the souls looked at the Shinigami, all of them sharing looks of disgust on their faces.

He pulled out a soul, colored yellow. "Explain, now." The Shinigami ordered to the soul, before turning around to face the blonde haired boy.

"Yondaime-sama…" muttered Naruto, looking at the former Fourth Hokage.

He looked the same as he had in all the pictures, except for the fact he had a ghostly tail instead of legs.

"Hello, Uzumaki-san." The Yondaime said, bowing his head before even looking at the boy. "I can explain everyth-"

He had put his head up, and was now looking at the boy with his eyes wide.

"HOW ARE YOU DEAD?" He screamed at him, pointing a finger at the boy. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE DEAD UNTIL YOU WERE AT LEAST 30!" He screamed at him, for no visible reason.

"Huh?" was Naruto's only response, before the Yondaime got back to screaming.

"Yondaime, calm yourself." The Shinigami called to him. "He's dead now, and screaming will only irritate us all." It was true, as all of the souls were looking at the yellow haired man, who still had anger in his eyes.

"But," The Yondaime was about to say, before the Shinigami cut him off with a swipe of his hand. "Remember your part of the bargain, Yondaime." The Shinigami told him, looking at the man threateningly.

The Yondaime just let out a disgruntled "Hai," before turning his attention back to Naruto.

"First, I would like to know how you died, and how old are you." The Yondaime said to the boy, his eyes glowing blue and piercing him.

In the soul's grasp, Naruto edged back a little, wary of the man in front of him. He didn't seem like the hero the village had made him out to be. He gulped audibly, before answering, "I-I'm f-five years o-old, Yondaime-sama." He said, getting out of the soul's grasp and bowing his head in respect to the dead man.

"FIVE YEARS OLD!" The Yondaime exploded, killing intent leaking from his body, causing all the soul's within a mile radius to shiver in forbidding. "FIVE YEARS OLD?" He repeated to Naruto, who only nodded in fear.

"I've told you before, Yondaime. Calm down." The Shinigami said, placing a hand on his back.

"Gomen," He mumbled, before turning to Naruto. "Was there a law of any kind that said that no one could tell you about the Kyubi?"

"The Kyubi?" Naruto asked, before remembering his talk with Danzo from before. "Yes, there was."

"THEN HOW ARE YOU DEAD NOW?" He screamed once more, as the Shinigami dug his hand into his back and he screamed even louder.

"I said calm yourself, Yondaime." He said, pulling his hand out and having the Yondaime drop down.

"I-Is he going to be okay?" asked Naruto, slowly walking over to him.

"Of course he is," The Shinigami replied, as a groan came from the prone form of the Yondaime. "He's the freaking Yondaime, he can take anything." He said mockingly, as the Yondaime got up.

"Gomen," He said again, this time bowing his head in shame, before turning to Naruto once more. "How are you dead though? The law should have protected you."

As Naruto explained his story, souls began to gather around, most of them having nothing to do but listen.

By the end of his tale, most of the souls had tears on their eyes, which were all wiped away quickly.

"That's so sad," muttered one of them, wiping a tear from her face.

"Must be a tough kind a kid to go through that." Another one said, sniffing.

"I'm sorry," The Yondaime muttered, looking at Naruto with tears also present in his eyes. "It's my fault. I should have just done what I was supposed to, instead of coming up with this stupid bargain." He told him, contempt lacing his voice near the end.

"Bargain?" The boy asked his elder, confused. He had heard both the Shinigami and the Yondaime say that, and he had a feeling it had to do with him.

"Lift your shirt," The Yellow Flash commanded to Naruto, who had immediately lifted the shirt over his head, leaving his upper body exposed to the world.

Many of the souls around him looked disgusted, and many of them turned around and threw up, much to the dismay of the Shinigami. Looking down to see what was wrong; Naruto found that a large hole was near the middle of his chest, right where his heart had been.

He gaped at it, as did the Yondaime, who looked ready to explode. "Don't do anything you'll regret, Yondaime." The Shinigami warned him, looking at him directly.

He just nodded, and told Naruto to put his shirt down, seemingly satisfied with something. "It's still there, which is good," He murmured softly to himself and went deep into his thoughts, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto.

"What's still there?" He asked the older man curiously.

"The marker," He said absentmindedly, still deep in thought.

"The marker?" Naruto repeated, questioning the man's answer. He did not receive a response for several minutes, and was about to turn to the Shinigami, before the Yondaime spoke. "Do you like Konoha?" He asked suddenly, hope filling his voice.

Naruto looked at him, and went into his own thoughts, just as the Yondaime had done before.

'Do I like Konoha?' He questioned himself, looking deep into his mind for any hint of ever doing so.

Images flashed, like the time with the green jump suited man with the black bowl cut hair, and the fat man with the food cart. He remembered the pain of being slammed into the wall by Zabuza, and the times he had to suffer through the glares of the villagers. He felt angry at the village for all the times he had to fend for himself, while he watched and heard as families laughed inside the warmth of their houses, not even thinking of offering the small boy standing in the cold a place to stay, or some food. His hands balled into fists as he remembered the times people had destroyed his things or the times restaurant owners chased him from their alleys while he had been digging for scraps of food. His eyes narrowed, seeing a rich couple with generous bellies laugh out of a restaurant with an umbrella over their heads and dressed in warm clothing, as he sat in the rain, his stomach grumbling and his rags getting wet.

"No," He answered truthfully, through gritted teeth. "I hate them."

The Yondaime sighed, and looked to the red skies. "Oh kami, this just makes it all harder." He said, running his hands through his hair.

The Shinigami laughed, as Naruto scrunched up his face trying to will the memories away and the Yondaime stroking his temples.

"Seems like you've just done something terrible, Yondaime." The death god chuckled, happy at the predicament. More hate meant more deaths, which would lead to more food for him. "It's gonna be bad explaining the bargain to the kid now."

The Shinigami laughed, before grabbing a chain with a dagger at one end off his clothes. He laughed once more, before throwing the chain at Naruto.

It went fast, but Naruto was able to jump away slightly, and instead of wrapping itself around his body, it wrapped itself around Naruto, the whole thing only going up to his thigh before stopping.

"What was that for?" He screamed at the Shinigami, who was still laughing.

"His bargain," He pointed to the Yondaime, who was still watching, "Will become your burden." He laughed once more, and Naruto felt the chain come to life.

It grew longer, and was starting to wrap itself around him like a snake, the dagger part being the head. Slowly and surly it made it's way around Naruto, digging the tips of itself into his skin, and causing him to bleed. (Forgot to mention in the last chapter that Naruto's chain has these thorn things on the chain part.) He cried out in pain, as the chain started wrapping more and more of him up, and soon, both of his legs and lower body were wrapped by the chains, with it still swinging around him.

"Wait!" The Yondaime cried to the Shinigami, "He's too young for this! We can't make him do this now!"

The Shinigami laughed, as more of the chain wound itself around the boy, his next words echoing over the screams of the boy. "You remember the bargain, Yondaime," He cackled, as his entire abdomen was now wrapped up. "For the price of having the Kyubi kept within him and using his power to protect the very village he now hates, he will be chained in death to Konoha!"

He cackled insanely, as the boy's arms were now starting to become wrapped in the animated chain, his face contorted in pain. They now completely wrapped his arms, as blood flowed freely from his entire body. Soon, he found the chain and dagger going across his face, cutting him deep. It fully wrapped around him, and the dagger part of the chain came shot forward, ahead of his body. It went back, and impaled itself directly through the chains and into where his heart had once been.

His screams died, as he was completely covered in the chains. He felt nothing but cold, as death swept through him once more, but stayed this time, covering him in the cold and numb of its feel.

The chains fell from his face, and unwrapped themselves from around his body, ending up only on both arms, and in an X position across his chest.

For the first time in his life and death, he did not feel himself moving. Even the breaths he had to take as a soul were gone, as he lay still standing up, hunched over and with the chains dangling off him.

"This is the price you must pay," The Shinigami said, looking down at the boy. He hadn't been expecting the whole chain to wrap around the boy. Then again, this was the first time a deal such as this had ever been struck with a mortal. "The price of one man's follies, becomes your sacrifice, your curse."

The boy looked up to the Shinigami, his eyes now a cold dead blue. "Why?" He whispered. He found his voice sounded awkward, as if it was not meant to be used to speak. "Why, Shinigami-sama?"

He suddenly winced and fell to the ground, as a fire erupted inside him, his mind hurting from the sudden intrusion of the flame. He gasped out, in his hollow and unusual voice, "What was that?"

"The pain of Life," The Shinigami answered, his vision now focused intently on the boy. The effect of the ghost chain on the soul of a once mortal boy, filled with both hatred and acceptance, was not something he could have foreseen. The very ground beneath his feet were freezing, and he was doing it without thinking.

"The pain of life…" Naruto echoed, as he looked down at his hands. They were a ghostly white, and he had a bad feeling. Looking skywards, but not moving his head, he sighed. His hair had turned white.

"Tell me, boy. What is your name?" The Shinigami asked him, still looking down.

"Uzu- AH!" He cried out, as the souls of the dead beside within a 20 foot radius were frozen and the ground cracked from the solidity of the ice. It was only by pure reflex that the Yondaime had jumped out of the way in time, and did not get caught up in the cold. Still, he felt it emanating from the boy, who was clutching his head in pain.

"I see," The Shinigami said, looking at him. "You are your own worst enemy."

Flashback End. Will continue in next chapter. Along with more back story on the Yondaime's bargain with the Shinigami, and the reason why Naruto has to protect Konoha.

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The village was bellow him, and he could hear the sound of the ninja as they wondered where the fog that floated over them had come from. It could have easily blanketed a whole block of houses and a couple buildings if it wanted to.

The ANBU standing guard over the square dome shivered, as the fog surrounded them. It was unbelievably cold here, as the ground was building was slowly starting to freeze. They were starting to see their breath, and the masks on their faces were developing a bit of frost on them.

It did not seem to be able to get inside the dome though, as it was staying away from it.

Suddenly, it was dying down, as it was being focused on a single point. Chains were heard, as a figure was starting to come from the fog.

He was dressed in white, and the fog seemed to be trailing behind him, joining with his body as he walked. He stood facing the dome like structure, where he could see four different figures inside it.

The ANBU watching were too shocked to do anything to stop the ghost like man, the cold also playing a part in this. While walking, he suddenly disappeared, ending up on the inside of the dome, the fog now a full part of him.

When he had left, the ANBU had expected the frost to have started thawing immediately after he had gone. Instead, it stayed there, permanently and as a testament to the cold the man brought along with him.

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**This chapter wasn't meant to contain any action what so ever. **

**It was just to explain some history between the Yondaime, Naruto's "condition", and the Shinigami. I'll continue more in the next chapter, where he will possibly face off against the Sound Four, followed by Orochimaru, in an attempt to save the life of the Sandaime, or I'll explain the method behind the Yondaime's madness… **

**As far as pairings go, here's your choices. **

**Naru/Oc**

**Naru/Ino**

**Naru/Temari**

**Naru/Tenten**

**Naru/FemHaku (yes I kept her alive)**

**Naru/Whoever else you might think of**

**Any questions, or inconsistencies with the fic, please ask or tell me. **

**I'm off to go play 2Moons, or find another MMORPG, or go work on Force of an Echo,**

**Dokugin**

**Word Count: 4,391**

**Page Count: 11**

**Time: 7 hours…**


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